I just have to tell you about the wonderful meal we had last night at one of the rare gatherings of the Sorensen clan. It’s not often that everyone from my family are able to get together. My brother Barrie has spent several years gallivanting all over the world, mainly playing sax on cruise ships. He doesn’t get home very often, but when he does we all enjoy his cooking. This trip home, instead of coming off a cruise ship, he is returning after completing the Pro Chef course at The School of Natural Cookery in Boulder, Colorado. This time, even more than usual, we were eagerly anticipating his cooking! So last night we gathered at the family home in Tryon to enjoy a six-course meal prepared by our incredible family chef. Here’s what was on the menu:
- Amuse Bouche: Quenelle of Tofu Olivade on a Red Bell Pepper Boat
- First Entrée: Carrot Coconut Cream Soup
- Second Entrée: Marinated Fennel with Avocado and Roasted Pistachios on a Bed of Butterhead Lettuce
- Third Entrée: Crimini Mushroom and Beet Green Stuffed Yucca Root Pastry with Walnut Cream Sauce
- Principal Plate: Lemon Braised Great Northern Beans with Red Beet Sauce on Broiled Millet Cake with Young Pea Shoots and Fresh Basil Oil
- Dessert: Lemon Chocolate Brownie with Vanilla Frozen Nut Custard
It was amazing!
You know, when people discover that I am a vegan, and furthermore can’t eat wheat or corn, they invariably ask something like, “what can you eat?” Believe it or not, all the items on last night’s menu were vegan, wheat-free and corn-free. So, the answer to the question, obviously, is “Lots!”. In fact, I would have to say that the more I give up, the more varied my diet becomes. By necessity, one is forced to look for alternatives to replace what is lost. Since giving up red meat as a new year’s resolution 15 years ago, I have evolved from a decidedly “meat-and-potatoes” guy to one that enjoys a much wider variety of ethnic cuisine, and a much wider variety of vegetables, grains and legumes than I could ever have imagined before.
Sadly, Barrie will be heading off to join his girlfriend in Lithuania soon, and we will have to wait until his next visit home to sample some of his wonderful culinary creations again. In the meantime, the memory of this most incredible meal will be with us for a good long time.
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